THE LATEST NEWS
Bed Fishing For The Blind
Toledo Bend is on Fire
Toledo Bend is ablaze with big fat bass – and many are still on spawning beds. Just ask Darold Gleason. The 32-year-old Bassmaster Central Open competitor is a full time guide on the 80-mile long reservoir that straddles the Texas-Louisiana border, and he’s caught three largemouth over 10-pounds in the past six months from the monstrous 186,000 acre impoundment.
Safe to say, the Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite on Toledo Bend is shaping up to be a big bass beat down when the best pros in the world begin competing Thursday.
Why is it So Good?
“The drought and low water levels of 2006 and 2011 actually lead to a lot of vegetation and bushes growing around the shoreline, and when water levels returned to normal all that new growth served as an awesome flooded sanctuary for all the fingerlings that hatched,” says Gleason.
If you’re a bass, the abundance of shallow water nursery habitat on Toledo Bend creates a great place to grow-up, but an adult life spent further off-shore among acres of hydrilla makes for an awesome neighborhood to grow old and big in.
Add an abundance of groceries to the vegetation in the form of shad, crawfish and bluegills and life gets rich quickly for a largemouth living in “The Bend.”
How Good, and How Big?
“I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to say we could see the Elites bring six to eight bass a day to the scales that will weigh over 7-pounds,” says Gleason. “And over the course of the 4-day tournament, I’m guessing we will see three or four bass over 10-pounds weighed-in.”
Uniquely cool to Toledo Bend is the existence of a great conservation-minded effort called the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass program. Anglers who catch a bass 10-pounds or greater, have it weighed and photographed at a designated certified scale in the area. The trophy catch is then tagged and released alive, and participating anglers are later presented with a free fiberglass replica as the Toledo Bend Lake Association’s way of saying thanks to visiting anglers for releasing giant bass back into their waters.
In 2013, 58 bass over 10-pounds were released as part of the program. That was a record, and 2014 is statistically on course to eclipse the goodness of last year.
As far as daily tournament weights, Gleason says it’s taking 25 to 28 pounds per day to win a team event on the reservoir in recent weeks.
What phase of the spawn are they in?
There were four snow events this winter in the region. Old timers still can’t believe it, and Toledo’s largemouth are still in a bit of disbelief too, causing the spawn to be prolonged much later on the calendar. Many late bloomers are still on beds.
Fish that live in the northern end of the reservoir in places like San Patricio Creek are pretty much done spawning, but travel south 40 or 50 miles on the huge reservoir, and there are plenty of bass on beds in places like Indian Creek.
How will it be won?
“It’s bass fishing, and these guys are the best in the world, so there’s always an element of surprise and unpredictability, but I’m guessing it will be won by catching post-spawners in the morning that are gorging on spawning shad, complimented by catching big ‘kicker’ fish off the beds as the day progresses,” says Gleason. Spinnerbaits, swimbaits and jerkbaits should play huge around the shad spawn, but Gleason can’t overemphasize the importance of big bass still on beds playing a huge role this week.
“The cool thing about this lake is that just about every guy in the tournament will have a chance to win by fishing the way he loves to fish most,” says Gleason. “There are several different patterns capable of producing a win for these guys.”
How much will it take to win?
“We’re throwing darts here, but because the weather is going to be sunny with fairly calm winds, these guys should have the chance to catch a lot of big bass off beds – and if that happens I’m guessing it’ll take 85-90 pounds to win,” says Gleason.
Gleason is certainly in the ballpark. Brent Chapman won with 83-pounds the last time the Elite pros competed on The Bend, and every indication is that weights should be awesome this week. Things are red-hot good here in a region rich with big bass, piney woods and crawfish — on fire in fact.
Sunline to Sponsor Major League Fishing
TULSA, Okla. (April 29, 2014) –Sunline, one of the world’s top fishing line companies, has become a Jack Link’s Major League Fishing sponsor, the league announced today.
Sunline, a Japanese-based manufacturer, produces fishing line with a variety of materials, including nylon, fluorocarbon, polyethylene, polyester and metal.
“We are pleased to welcome Sunline as a Major League Fishing sponsor. Sunline is a tremendous company, with market share in more than 40 countries. Sunline will be an outstanding partner with Major League Fishing,” said Major League Fishing General Manager Jim Wilburn.
Sunline already has an established presence among Major League Fishing competitors. League anglers sponsored by Sunline include Tommy Biffle, Jason Christie, Brent Ehrler, Todd Faircloth, Tim Horton, Aaron Martens, Mike McClelland, Takahiro Omori, Dean Rojas, Morizo Shimizu and Gerald Swindle.
“Major League Fishing is extremely popular, and Sunline and its anglers already play a significant role in every Major League Fishing event,” said Nobuyoki Kajio, president of Sunline America. “We are extremely pleased to become an official Major League Fishing sponsor.”
Major League Fishing is a partnership between Outdoor Channel and 48 of the world’s best anglers. The league, which is now televising its fifth competition, features made-for-television bass fishing events that utilize a format that allows anglers to weigh all the “scorable bass” that they catch. The bass are immediately weighed after they are caught, and then they are released back into the water. Anglers know where they rank in the standings at all times via real-time leader boards. The competitors are not allowed to practice before events.
Major League Fishing’s Shell Rotella Challenge Cup, from Denton, Texas, is now being aired six times a week on Outdoor Channel, America’s Leader In Outdoor TV. Additionally, the Championship Round of the Challenge Cup will be broadcast on Sunday, May 11, at 3 p.m. (EST), on CBS Sports. The Championship Round of the General Tire Summit Cup will air on CBS on Saturday, August 9, at 1 p.m. (EST).
About Sunline
Sunline is a Japanese fishing line manufacturer that was established in 1977. The company produces every conceivable type of fishing line for every type of target and method. Materials include nylon, fluorocarbon, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, polyester (polyethylene terephthalate), and metal. Sunline maintains top share in the Japanese fishing line market and exports its lines to more than 40 countries worldwide. The fundamental concept at Sunline is to produce a thinner, stronger fishing line. For more information, visit: www.sunlineamerica.com.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing is a partnership that includes some of the world’s most talented, influential professional bass anglers and Outdoor Channel. For more information about the new game, with new rules and no limits, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com.
About Outdoor Channel
Taking viewers across America and around the world on unparalleled adventures since 1993, Outdoor Channel is America’s Leader In Outdoor TV. Dedicated to the outdoor lifestyle and conservation, the independent cable network is a division of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, LLC and provides a complete spectrum of riveting hunting, fishing, shooting and adventure entertainment. Outdoor Channel is received by nearly 40 million U.S. households – the largest outdoor TV footprint in the country – and is available in more than 50 countries internationally. Outdoor Channel can be viewed in HD and is accessible by broadband and mobile platforms. For program times and other information, visit www.outdoorchannel.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and download our iPhone and iPad app. #WhatGetsYouOutdoors
Th’ Rig Head for Fishing Soft Plastics and A-Rigs
Fishing is complicated. There are thousands of lures and hundreds of jig heads to rig them on. It’s frustrating.
Selecting the best lure and jig head for the right technique can be overwhelming. In addition to figuring out the right weight of the jig head along with hook size and style.
Jig heads don’t look complicated, but they are all different and made for specific techniques. Ones designed for swimbaits are commonly used on castable, multi-lure rigs or combined with a soft plastic lure.
“Prime time to fish with the Alabama Rig, A-rig or castable umbrella rig is during the prespawn. Once the water temperature gets 50 degrees in the early spring it’s hard not to cast because of how many big fish it catches. The next best time is later on in October when the water temperatures begin to fall, however, you can still catch bass on it during the summertime offshore fishing ledges,” said FLW Tour professional angler, Dustin Grice.
When selecting lures to rig on his castable umbrella rigs, Grice matches the bait size. During the spring, he uses small bodied swimbaits and changes to a larger profile as the bait grows during the year. Once Grice finds the right size, he will rig all of the jig heads with it.
“Really jig heads maybe more important than lure size when it comes to catching fish on castable multi-lure rigs. The weight of the jig heads determine how deep the lure will run. Hook size will determine what size lure to use. A castable umbrella rig has to be down in the strike zone to get a bite,” said Grice.
Right speed and presentation can also make a difference with the number of fish you catch when fishing a castable multi-lure rig. “It’s great for catching suspending bass. I just count it down to where the bass are and then start a slow retrieve. Sometimes, I will pause it when its coming back in and that will trigger a strike,” said Grice.
“I think bass like to bust up a school of baitfish then come back and eat them. I call that a “swim through.” It’s great because you know that any second after that happens you’re going to get a bite,” said Grice.
Grice acknowledged a large percentage of the time he uses 1/8-ounce Th’ Rig Head by Santone Lures (www.santonelures.com) on all five of the wire arms. Other times he will put 1/16-ounce Th’ Rig Head jig heads on the top two wire arm and three 1/8-ounce Th’ Rig Head Jig heads on the remaining wire arms. He believes this keeps the castable multi-lure rig running true.
“95 percent of all the hits on a multi-lure rig are on the bottom three jig heads,” said Grice.
For Grice the gap between the hook point and hook eyelet is the key to catching fish when using a castable multi-lure rig. He also wants a jig head that lets the water move around it better creating a lifelike swimming action.
Another FLW Tour pro, Jim Tutt, also fishes castable multi-lure rigs. “It’s a lure just like any other lure, but when that bite is on you had better be throwing it as long as it’s legal in the tournament and state you are fishing in,” said Tutt. The Kellogg’s Rice Krispies pro is no stranger to the castable multi-lure rig having caught his biggest bass on it weighing over 11 pounds.
A large percentage of the time, Tutt will rig 1/8-ounce Th’ Rig Head with 4/0 hooks on all the wire arms. “I really don’t think hook size matters when a bass is going after a castable multi-lure rig. A bass is just trying to bust up the school,” said Tutt.
His favorite presentation is just casting out and letting the castable multi-lure rig fall to the bottom then slow rolling it back in. If the bass are suspended, Tutt will count down to where the fish are suspended then start reeling in slowly.
What’s important to Tutt when fishing a castable multi-lure rig is his jig heads. “I use the Santone Lures Th’ Rig Head. These jig heads feature a drop weight system that keeps the jig heads from wrapping up or tangling, round ball head giving the lure great side to side motion and a double-barbed model or over-sided screw lock model for keeping the lure in place,” said Tutt.
Tutt added on solid bodied swimbaits the double-barded model lures will stay on even without using super glue. On hollow bodied swimbaits, Tutt will put a drop of super glue to keep it in place.
“I use Th’ Rig Head because it has a heavy duty hook and when you are fishing with a castable multi-lure rig it’s not little fish you’re catching on it,” said Tutt.
Th’ Rig Head double-barded model is available in 1/16-ounce with 3/0 Mustad hook, 1/8-ounce with 4/0 Mustad hook, or 1/8-ounce with 5/0 Mustad hook and Over-sized screw lock model in 1/8-ounce with 4/0 or 1/4-ounce with a 5/0 Mustad hook.
As for gear, Grice uses a 7 foot, 6 inch flipping stick with 65 pound braid on a 6.3:1 reel. Tutt uses 65 pound braid, 7 foot, 2 inch heavy action rod with a 6.3:1 Shimano Calais reel.
In addition to using Th’ Rig Head on castable multi-lure rigs, Grice uses swimbaits rigged with them almost year round. His favorite targets with this combination are rocky areas and points.
“On reservoirs like Beaver Lake and Table Rock, I will put on a 1/8-ounce Th’ Rig Head rigged with a swimming fluke Jr. and fish it everywhere there’s rock. I will tie on 6- to 8-pound test and fish it on a spinning rod. The spotted bass and smallmouth just love it when it’s reeled back in slowly,” said Grice.
He changes to baitcasting equipment and heavier 15 pound test fluorocarbon fishing line when fishing Lake Sam Rayburn, Kentucky Lake, or Toledo Bend. Grice will also switch to a full sized swimbait. Again, Grice likes to reel it back in slowly after it falls to the bottom.
Throw Some Kandi at Them
Professional angler Casey Scanlon talks about spring time fishing for bass when they have moved up and are starting to make their spawning beds. This video is basically bed fishing 101 using Bass Kandi Baits. Spring time is a great time to catch some large fish. Focus on shallow bays and coves with hard sandy bottoms. Scanlon tells us how to determine which bed fish are easier to catch than others. In this video he has footage of some bed fishing he caught at a local lake with Bass Kandi Baits. He is using a two step approach with a white Bass Kandi Speed Bug and Bass Kandi Texas Craw. He used a Texas rig most of the time but did use a drop shot to catch some.
Get all your Kandi here.
Keep up with Casey on his web site.